Marble racing track

ABSTRACT

A marble racing game including marbles, a racetrack having vertical loading slots, a release mechanism, vertical lanes, a plurality of diverters, and one or more dowels located at the bottom portion of the racetrack which serve to efficiently order each marble in the position in which they reach the bottom of the racetrack.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a marble racing game. In particular, this invention provides a user adjustable apparatus that permits racing of multiple marbles simultaneously and orders all the marbles in the exact position in which each marble reaches the bottom of the racing track. The apparatus may include passive or active elements, which may serve to divert the path of the marbles as they travel along the racing track.

2. Description of the Related Art

Traditionally, marble racing games rely on the users to visually determine the order in which marbles reach the end of the racing track. Other marble racing games use inefficient or unreliable means for determining the order in which marbles reach the bottom of the racing track. For example, some games utilize a trapdoor system, whereby the first marble to reach the finish position actuates a trapdoor such that each subsequent marble is forced to enter a separate resting place. This method for determining the order in which each marble has reached the bottom of the racing track can be prone to mechanical failure as it relies on moving parts.

Therefore, there is a need for a marble racing game permitting the simultaneous release of multiple marbles in individual starting lanes and allowing for the efficient and reliable ordering of the marbles in their finishing positions. The present invention incorporates a novel design to order all the marbles in the exact position in which each marble reaches the finishing point of the racing track. This novel design is an improvement over the prior art because there are no moving parts which greatly reduces, if not eliminates the risk of mechanical failure.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a marble racing track that allows for the simultaneous release of multiple marbles in individual vertical slots located at the upper end of the marble track, wherein each vertical slot extends a short distance from the top of the racing track. One or more embodiments of the marble racing track include obstacles along the length of the racing track to divert the path of each marble along the racing track. The obstacles may include nails or pens inserted at various positions along the racing track, along with nails or pens with rubber bands tightly strung between them. The racing track also includes a final wooden dowel upon which each marble rolls to reach their finishing order. One or more embodiments of the marble racing track also includes a penultimate dowel above the final wooden dowel. This penultimate dowel is positioned at an angle above the final wooden dowel and is placed on the racing track such that gaps exist between the penultimate wooden dowel and the vertical edges of the racing track.

The use of the penultimate dowel and the final resting dowel in the present invention allow for retention of the final ordering of the marbles and are an improvement over the inefficient and unreliable mechanical methods for determining the order in which each marble has reached the bottom of the racing track.

One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a marble racing track that includes a penultimate dowel, a final resting dowel and a third dowel attached to the right vertical side of the racing track. The third dowel is angled slightly downward to the left and serves to more efficiently order the marbles that arrive at this position of the racing track unimpeded by the penultimate dowel permitting more efficient ordering of their final position.

The racing track may also include legs attached by hinges to the top of the track which fold outward to support the racing track and fold inwards for storage. The positioning of the diverters along the length of the racing track are infinitely adjustable by the user by removing and repositioning the nails or pens and reattaching the rubber bands into various configurations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective of one exemplary embodiment of the marble racing track showing track including the diverters (nails, and elastic bands stretched between nails), as well as the final dowel which serves to retain the marbles in their final order upon reaching the bottom of the track. (include drawing of top view of racing track)

FIG. 2 is a partial bottom view of the marble racing track detailing the penultimate dowel, and the final dowel. (include drawing of top view of racing track)

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the marble racing track detailing the marble release bar and the individual vertical marble loading slots. (include drawing of partial top view of racing track)

FIG. 4 is a partial view of the bottom portion of the marble racing track detailing the third dowel on the right side of the racing track positioned between the penultimate dowel and the final dowel. (include drawing of partial bottom view of racing track)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are merely described below, by referring to the figures, to explain aspects of the present description.

One exemplary embodiment of the present marble racing track is depicted in FIG. 1. The marble racing track consists of a smooth planar surface that is sufficiently wide to permit the simultaneous release of multiple marbles from the top of the racing track and of a suitable vertical length to permit placement of a marble release mechanism, vertical loading slots, a plurality of diverters, a penultimate wooden dowel, and a final wooden dowel. The marble racing track consists of fixed wall portions along each vertical and horizontal edge of the racing track. The marbles may be different colors or may be differentiated by number or design.

In a preferred embodiment of the present marble racing track the uppermost horizontal portion includes a marble release bar or mechanism that serves to hold each marble at the starting position until a user lifts or rotates the release bar or mechanism to release each marble simultaneously into a vertical lane. Each marble is loaded into an individual vertical loading slot at the top of the marble racing track and remain in the slot until the marble release bar or mechanism is actuated by the user to release each marble simultaneously from its individual vertical loading slot.

The vertical loading slots depicted in FIG. 3 are positioned directly above the release bar or mechanism. Each vertical loading slot is an insert at the very top of the horizontal portion of the racing track. The vertical loading slot serves to separate each marble at the starting position prior to removing the release bar or mechanism. In one or more embodiments, the individual vertical loading slots are static and constructed of a solid material.

In one or more embodiments, vertical lanes are positioned directly below the vertical loading slots and the release bar or mechanism. The vertical lanes may be constructed of rubber bands stretched between pens or nails positioned in the planar surface of the racetrack. In an exemplary embodiment the vertical lanes are adjustable by the user by removing and repositioning the pens and rubber bands.

At various locations along the planar surface of the marble racing track are positioned a plurality of pens or nails, some of which have rubber bands attached between them to create bumpers or obstacles to cause a marble that interacts with it to divert from its path along the vertical length of the racetrack.

The bottom portion of the racing track depicted in FIG. 2 includes at least one stationary dowel. The stationary dowel may be a stationary penultimate dowel located above a final dowel that serves to guide the marbles to the left side of the racing track. The orientation of the penultimate dowel is at a sufficient angle to the horizontal width of the racing track to sufficiently guide each marble that interacts with it laterally to the left side of the racing track. The position of the penultimate dowel is such that there are gaps between the penultimate dowel and the racing track frame to permit marbles to exit on the left side or continue unimpeded down the right side of the racing track.

The bottom portion of the racing track also comprises a stationary final dowel located below the penultimate wooden dowel that serves as the final resting place for the marbles. The final dowel is positioned on the planar surface at an angle relative to the horizontal width of the racing track such that each marble will roll in order to the right side of the racing track to their final position. In one or more embodiments, the racetrack may also include additional stationary dowels in order to more efficiently direct the marbles to their finishing positions.

The bottom portion of the racing track may also include additional stationary dowels. The dowels may be constructed of any suitable material, including wood. In one exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 4, the racing track also comprises a third dowel attached to the right vertical side of the racing track. The third dowel is angled slightly downward to the left and serves to more efficiently order the marbles that arrive at this position of the racing track unimpeded by the penultimate dowel permitting more efficient ordering of their final position.

In a preferred embodiment, the racing track is configured to permit the simultaneous release of up to 8 individual marbles into individual starting lanes. The racing track comprises jlegs attached by hinges to the top of the track which fold outward to support the racing track and fold inwards for storage. The racing track includes a plurality of diverters to divert the path of each marble as it travels along the length of the racing track. In this preferred embodiment, the orientation of the diverters is infinitely adjustable by the user by removing and repositioning pens and rubber bands and adjusting them into different configurations. 

1. A marble racing game comprising marbles; a track having fixed vertical and horizontal wall portions, a marble release mechanism, vertical loading slots, a plurality of diverters along the planar surface thereof; and at least one stationary dowel.
 2. The marble racing game of claim 1 wherein the marble release mechanism on the track simultaneously releases multiple marbles from individual vertical loading slots.
 3. The marble racing game of claim 1 wherein the diverters are positioned on the track to alter the path of the marbles as they travel along the vertical length of the track.
 4. The marble racing game of claim 1 wherein there are at least two stationary dowels located at the bottom portion of the track.
 5. The marble racing game of claim 4 wherein one of the stationary dowels located at the bottom portion of the track is a penultimate dowel.
 6. The marble racing game of claim 4 wherein one of the stationary dowels located at the bottom portion of the track positioned above the horizontal wall is a final dowel that serves as the final resting place for the marbles in the order in which each marble reaches the bottom of the track. 